Transmission rebuild kits

[luckyirishguy]

2005 Tahoe LT 2wd 139k 4l60e

I'm not looking for a performance transmission...im NOT racing or driving very hard and NOT very much heavy towing
I would say im looking for a "bulletproof" stock replacement with quality parts.


I am looking for reputable complete kit options.


From my reading, many posts recommending the following parts-

Beast Sun Shell
HD front and
rear planetary gear sets
shift kit
HD wide bands/kevlar 2-4 band
corvette/billet servo
replacement input/output shafts
replacement flexplate
replacement main seal
replacement torque converter ???
valve body updates??
replacement solenoids?
clutch kits with steel runs/zpack
extra cooler
radator upgrade
aluminum accumulator pistons
torque convertor
bushings and wearables



Ive read many people recommend TRANSGo HD2, TRANSGO shift kit, and Monster in a Box kits.




Again, I am not doing much towing or performance upgrades to the Tahoe. I think some things listed above may be a little overkill for what I need.

I am a school teacher on a budget but I would still like to get some respectable parts. The automotive department at my school will be rebuilding the transmission. The automotive instructor has 10+ years experience specifically working with transmissions primarily with Nissan.


Please feel free to recommend specific brands and parts. Ideally I would like to buy a kit that includes most, if not all the parts needed

 

[CountryBoy19]

The odds of finding all the good upgrades in a single kit are very slim... but I haven't specifically looked for one for this transmission so I'm not sure.

That being said, my take on torque converters, by the best you can afford. A failed torque converter (or any hard-part for that matter) is likely to distribute metal throughout the tranny. For a part that requires tranny tear-down to access it's not as terrible. But the worst feeling in the world is putting a generic reman TC in, and 1 month after the warranty is up the TC fails. It didn't necessarily wreck the rebuilt tranny, but your tranny builder has to tear the whole thing apart just to clean out all the particulates from the failed TC. BTDT, it sucks. And I'll NEVER use that tranny shop again. I told him not to go cheap on parts...

Parts are the cheap part of tranny work so in the long-term it doesn't cost much more to put good parts in. IE, lets say you can get ok parts for $500, or excellent parts for $700. That $200 seems like a lot of money until you consider the labor for the rebuild is $1800, and if one of your parts fails out of warranty you're on the hook for the $1800 labor all over again. I realize that you likely won't be paying labor for your specific rebuild, but will you be able to take advantage of that situation again in 2 years if something goes wrong?

IMHO, I wouldn't mess with solenoids unless there is a known problematic one on this tranny. IE, when I rebuilt my Buick tranny one of the solenoids was known to be problematic so I replaced it but the others were said to be good quality so I didn't touch them. Same goes for valve body updates; do your research and find out if any valves are troublesome (wear etc). If so, get the sonnax valve kits for just that valve.

I'm interested to hear what others have to say...

 

[Z28TWITCH]

First off, how did you nuke a 2wd trans in 140k?
As far as parts go, standard rebuild kit will be just fine and add the biggest trans cooler you can physically fit. Dont bother dumping money into a 2wd truck that doesn't need high end stuff. I've had MANY 4l60e transmissions on my bench with well over 200k on them. If it isn't sonnax, don't bother. I've had NOTHING but good results using sonnax parts.
Food for thought though, on something as critical as a trans rebuild, myself, I would never let a school rebuild one. Saving a few bucks now will undoubtedly come back to haunt you. I've had 4l60e's done for just south of $1600 including parts and a 5 year warranty. It's your truck, your money, but I wouldn't let my truck get learned on.

 

[inmypassatlife]

I got a great HD build from an independent, but volume mechanic for $850

 

[SnowDrifter]

Only input I have:

Sonnax smart shell is balanced. beast is not.

 

[CountryBoy19]

First off, how did you nuke a 2wd trans in 140k?

Towing?

I'm not sure the history that caused it but mine had a new tranny put in at the dealership at 81k miles (prior to my ownership)

 

[luckyirishguy]

First off, how did you nuke a 2wd trans in 140k?
As far as parts go, standard rebuild kit will be just fine and add the biggest trans cooler you can physically fit.

Food for thought though, on something as critical as a trans rebuild, myself, I would never let a school rebuild one. Saving a few bucks now will undoubtedly come back to haunt you. I've had 4l60e's done for just south of $1600 including parts and a 5 year warranty. It's your truck, your money, but I wouldn't let my truck get learned on.

As of right now the transmission does not have issues. But the automotive instructor has 30 years experience. 10 years specifically with transmissions. I'd like to take advantage of that. Since im not looing to build anything fancy or performance i think it will be fine

 

[Z28TWITCH]

As of right now the transmission does not have issues.

So what exactly are you doing then? I'm extremely confused as to why you want to tear down a transmission in perfect working order? Your money buddy.....

 

[CountryBoy19]

As of right now the transmission does not have issues. But the automotive instructor has 30 years experience. 10 years specifically with transmissions. I'd like to take advantage of that. Since im not looing to build anything fancy or performance i think it will be fine

IMHO, you're nucking futs if you want to have a perfectly good transmission torn down just for the heck of it...transmissions are finicky beasts and the risk of causing problems by tearing it down is too high... if you really want to have one built up right for just the cost of parts seek out a bad one or a junkyard pulled tranny, have it built and sit it on the shelf for when/if yours ever needs replaced and then its just a simple swap...

 

[luckyirishguy]

So what exactly are you doing then? I'm extremely confused as to why you want to tear down a transmission in perfect working order? Your money buddy.....

I have another-spare 4l60e transmission.

IMHO, you're nucking futs if you want to have a perfectly good transmission torn down just for the heck of it...transmissions are finicky beasts and the risk of causing problems by tearing it down is too high... if you really want to have one built up right for just the cost of parts seek out a bad one or a junkyard pulled tranny, have it built and sit it on the shelf for when/if yours ever needs replaced and then its just a simple swap...

I understand that and I appreciate the concern but I am not asking for opinions about my current transmission or setup. I have another-spare 4l60e transmission.



My inquiry is asking about build/rebuild kits that include everything or close to it. I dont need special performance or tow parts. Just looking for a complete kit that is an upgrade from stock